FLC OF AN LTT DECLARED AN EMER AND RETURN LAND AFTER EXPERIENCING ABNORMAL FLT CTL PROB CAUSED BY THE FO INADVERTENTLY ACTIVATING THE AUTOPLT INSTEAD OF YAW DAMPER.

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AFTER TKOF FROM THE MACON ARPT DURING THE INITIAL CLB AND BEFORE COMPLETION OF THE AFTER TKOF CHKLIST. THE FO SAID 'I THINK WE HAVE A CTL PROB.' I TOLD HIM TO LET ME HAVE THE CTLS. I NOTICED A GREAT DEAL OF RESISTANCE IN AILERON MOVEMENT; BUT ELEVATOR CTL SEEMED NORMAL. I SAID; 'I HAVE THE AIRPLANE' AND REDUCED ENG PWR IN THE ATTEMPT TO RELIEVE SOME OF THE CTL PRESSURE. WHEN RESISTANCE TO MOTION IN THE AILERONS BECAME WORSE I TOLD THE FO TO DECLARE AN EMER AND TELL DEP CTL THAT WE WERE RETURNING TO LAND. I THEN NOTICED THAT ELEVATOR CTL WAS BECOMING DIFFICULT AND I DEPRESSED THE AUTOPLT DISCONNECT BUTTON ON THE CTL WHEEL. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY THE CTL FORCES DIMINISHED AND I WAS ABLE TO REGAIN CTL OF THE AIRPLANE. THE REST OF THE APCH AND LNDG IN MACON WAS NORMAL. MAINT PERSONNEL CHKED THE CTLS AND AUTOPLT SYS AND CONCLUDED THAT THE AUTOPLT WAS INADVERTENTLY ENGAGED. I ALSO CHKED THE AUTOPLT AND FLT CTLS AND THEY SEEMED TO WORK NORMALLY ON THE GND. APPARENTLY THE FO WAS ATTEMPTING TO ENGAGE THE YAW DAMPER BUT ENGAGED THE AUTOPLT INSTEAD. THE BUTTONS ARE VERY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER. I THINK THE PROB/INCIDENT WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED IF THE FO HAD STATED HIS INTENTION TO ENGAGE THE YAW DAMPER. NOTE: THE FO AND I KNEW THAT THE AIRPLANE HAD JUST COME OUT OF MAINT FOR A BROKEN AILERON CABLE BEFORE WE FLEW IT.